I have a fair amount of the available North American DLC for TS2015. But sometimes I want to use a lot of it at once. And being a dedicated workshop content creator, I can't without seeing my scenario's performance suffer on the workshop as the huge amount of DLC means that only a small portion of people can play them. So the solution I came up with is based on mc5725's railfanning series on train-sim.com. So, I'm going to try it out. These should generally be interspersed with my workshop uploads, so if you like what you see here, then check out my workshop page (just consider this some shameless self promotion). For the first one of these, I thought it would be fitting to use the first North American route I ever expirienced in TS2012: Cajon Pass. So, without further ado, here is A Rainy Day at Frost.
The thing about California is this: it doesn't rain that often, but when it does, boy do the heavens open up. Such was the case on this August day. But that wasn't about to stop me from heading out to the Natural Crossover at Frost. As usual, traffic on Cajon was busy as ever, and within a few minutes, a manifest bound from San Diego to Barstow rounded the corner and came up and over the bridge.
Power for the train was a BNSF C44-9W, ATSF SD40-2, and a BNSF ES44DC as DPU (below). All screenshots by the author.
Not long after, a westbound Union Pacific stack train came sweeping around the rather photogenic curve on the low track.
Power for this train was a UP SD70ACe, UP SD70M, and UP ES44AC as DPU (below).
After a few minutes, a BNSF eastbound stack train crossed over the low track on its way to St. Louis.
Power was a BNSF ES44DC, BNSF ES44AC, and a BNSF C44-9W as DPU (below).
Despite my catch on the first train, I was cold and wet and had seen nothing really worthwhile yet. That changed with a westbound autorack. I always like unit autorack trains going around a curve. Something about the continuity just mesmerizes me. This was also my first train without a DPU of the day, so that was pretty neat.
The power for this train was a BNSF ES44DC, CN SD70M-2, BNSF C44-9W, and BNSF ES44DC.
By now I was soaked to the bone, having forgot an umbrella. But the parade went on with the first UP easbound of the day, a pig train with a guest appearance.
Power was a UP ES44AC, UP SD60M, and NS ES44AC.
The funniest thing was the pattern of alternating east and westbound traffic that was beginning to unfold. Keeping right with that theme, a massive westbound ethanol train was the next to duck under the bridge, with another guest appearance.
Power was a BNSF ES44AC, NS ES44AC, and BNSF C44-9W on the point with a BNSF SD70ACe and BNSF C44-9W as DPUs.
And here was my first meet. As the end of the ethanol train approached, a long eastbound string of reefers, with a rather colorful consist, full of California produce crossed the ethanol tanks that were heading west.
Above is the reefer train, with a BNSF SD75I, CSX ES44AC, NS ES44AC, and BNSF C44-9W as a DPU. Below are the DPUs on the ethanol train.
Above is the DPU on the reefer train.
And the weird comglomerate of long trains continued, with a very special westbound Union Pacific manifest the next train to cross under the bridge and being its climb of the pass.
Power was the Missouri Pacific Heritage Unit (UP SD70ACe), two UP SD60Ms, and a UP C44-9W, still in its original SP livery (below). That one is also one of the shots were I pulled out the telephoto lens.
Needless to say, I was pretty excited after that capture. And then I was greeted by back-to-back Union Pacific trains, the second coming in the form of cement empties bound for Mojave.
Power as a UP SD40-2 and UP SD40T-2, still in its original SP livery.
From incredibly long, to incredibly short. After the cement hoppers, a nice BNSF local came around the bend. It would make a drop off at Thorn before continuing over the pass.
The power? A standard pair of BNSF GP38-2s.
The next BNSF freight sported the second four-engine lash up of the day, this time it came on an eastound stack train, with yet another guest appearance.
Power was a BNSF C44-9W, BNSF SD70ACe, CSX C40-8W, BNSF ES44DC, and a pair of ES44DCs as DPUs (below).
The next train was, you guessed it, another westbound! This came in the form of a BNSF coal train bound for Los Angeles area power plants.
Power was a BNSF SD70MAC and BNSF ES44AC.
The last eastbound of the day came as a BNSF manifest with another guest appearance from north of the border.
Power was a BNSF SD70ACe and CP ES44AC.
The last train actually came as the manifest rolled over the bridge. Following hot on the heels of the coal train was a westbound BNSF stack train.
Power was a pair of BNSF ES44DCs and BNSF C44-9W on the point, with a patched ATSF SD75M as DPU (below). A cut of boxcars from the manifest can be seen crossing the bridge on the left.
With that, I was done. I was wetter than I ever wanted to be, and I was ready for a hot bowl of soup. Thanks for reading guys, and I'll either see you here or on the the Workshop (name is also agsieg). Keep on fannin'!